The
Bara Imambara -The
Bara Imambara was built by Asaf-ud-Daula in
the year 1784 as a part of the famine relief
project where a number of labourers were chosen
to build this Imambara. It is a big vaulted
hall with a length of 50 m and a height of 15
m. There is also a mosque, but non-Muslims are
not allowed to enter. The mosque has two tall
minarets in the courtyard complex, which lies
on the left side of the well.

Chota
Imambara - The Husainabad
Imambada is also known as Chhota Imambada. This
Imambada was the creation of Mohammed Ali Shah,
who built it in 1837. It is believed to be the
mausoleum of Mohammed Ali Shah himself. The
Imambada also encloses a tank with small imitations
of the Taj Mahal on each side. One of those
imitations is the tomb of Mohammed's daughter
and the other one is of her husband. The main
Imambada is topped by a golden dome, which is
supposed to be the tomb of Ali Shah and his
mother. There also lies the incomplete watchtower
called the satkhanda just opposite the tomb

The construction of this
tower was withdrawn when Ali Shah died in 1840
and only the four storeys were made. There is
also the tallest clock tower
estimated to be 67 m high overlooking the Husainabad
tank. The Imambada is illuminated during the
Muharram giving it a wonderful look.

The Residency
- The ruins of Lucknow Residency give a clear
picture of the British rule in India. It was
the Mansion of the East India Company's agent
in Avadh during the Sepoy Mutiny. This historical
monument is situated near the Hazratganj area
which is the centre of the city.

Rumi Darwaza
- Among other historical monuments built by
Asaf-ud-Daula one was the Rumi Darwaza, built
as a relief work during the famine of 1783.
Said to be an exact copy of one of the gates
of Constantinople, this soaring edifice, which
is 60 feet high, can match any similar structure
in point of beauty and splendour.

Chatter Manzil - Near Chowk,
is an imposing building whose construction was
started by Nawab Ghazi Haider but was completed
by his successor, Nawab Nasiruddin Haider. The
main attractions include huge underground rooms
and a beautiful dome surrounded by gilt umbrella.
European architectural influences can also be
seen.

Jami Masjid - To the western
side of the Husainabad Imambada lies the Jami
Masjid. The construction of the Masjid was started
by Mohammed Shah and was completed by his wife
after his death in the 1840s. Jami Masjid is
the largest mosque of Lucknow. Though non-Muslims
are not allowed to worship here, one can see
the wonderful paintings on the ceilings with
the leaf and fruit bowl patterns.

Quick
Getaways near Lucknow

Faizabad
- Faizabad, situated 124 km from Lucknow, was
once the capital of Avadh. Easily reachable
by both trains and buses, this place houses
the Fort Calcutta built by the third Nawab of
Avadh, Suja-ud-Daula. Besides this, one can
also visit the mausoleum of Bahu Begum and Gulab
Bari.

Ayodhya
- Just 6 km away from Faizabad is the
holy town Ayodhya where one of the most
popularincarnationsof
Lord Vishnu and the hero of the epic Ramayana,
Lord Ram, was born. It has a large number
of temples all over the town. The atmosphere
of the town is filled with religious fervour
and piety.

Sravasti - Situated 150
km northwest of Lucknow is Sravasti. The
Buddhist monastery Jetavana is an important
site here, as it is believed that Lord
Gautama Buddha preached here after he
got his enlightenment. After the death
of Buddha, this monastery got royal patronage.

Events in Lucknow

Lucknow Mahotsava -
Lucknow Mahotsav is a major event today, which
is celebrated in the months of November/December.
In this 10-day festival, events like plays,
classical and semi classical music and dance
recitals, kite flying and Tonga races take place.
There are music and dance programs of the Lucknow
gharana (the genre of Lucknow), Kathak
dances,
ghazal (verse) and thumri (light classical songs
often based on the Radha-Krishna love theme),
poetry soirées, folk dance and drama.

Getting There & Away to Lucknow

Lucknow
is well connected with the other important
towns and cities of the country by air.
Most of the domestic flight operators
have regular scheduled flights to the
Lucknow airport Amausi, which is about
15 km away from the main city area. Regular
flights operate from Lucknow to Delhi,
Patna, Calcutta, Varanasi, Bombay and
Kanpur.

Lucknow
is very well connected by a network of
roads and road transport to all major
towns of Uttar Pradesh and surrounding
areas. Buses operate to important towns
like Kanpur, Allahabad, Agra, Varanasi,
Delhi, Gorakhpur, Sumauti, Farizabad and
Naini Tal.

Getting
Around in Lucknow

From the airport, taxis
are available to the city. The sights in the
old city are all close enough to each other
to visit in a cycle-rickshaw or shared tempo.
If you really want to explore, then you should
consider hiring a taxi.